Nazgul Costume: A Step-by-Step DIY Tutorial
Assembling a Nazgul outfit, inspired by The Lord of the Rings, can be quite straightforward, mainly requiring black hooded robes. These faceless figures keep their hoods raised and wield weapons such as swords, which enhances their intimidating look.
By Rowan Adams
In the lore of The Lord of the Rings (LOTR), penned by JRR Tolkien, the Nazgul appear as shadowy antagonists serving Sauron's aim to dominate all of Middle Earth, a setting first introduced in The Hobbit. For real-life purposes, they offer ideal inspiration for a straightforward yet intimidating costume suitable for Halloween or a Nazgul cosplay event.
Also called ringwraiths, the Nazgul possess a unique appearance. They are faceless beings clad entirely in black. Although a ringwraith costume might be available at a local shop or on Amazon, those who sew could craft black robes using a Nazgul cloak pattern or modify store-bought robes to assemble the outfit.
A fully DIY Nazgul costume is fairly simple to assemble, particularly since no hair or makeup is needed.
Obtain or create hooded robes
Black hooded robes form the core of any DIY Nazgul costume project. These nine figures were originally men but turned into phantoms after being corrupted by power. Thereafter, the film series shows the Nazgul as enveloped in black.
Skilled sewers might seek out and follow an online Nazgul cloak pattern and tutorial to make a custom robe from black cotton or wool. Heavy fabric can give the costume a realistic appearance but might also render it unwearable due to possible discomfort from heat.
If you cannot locate a Nazgul cloak pattern you prefer, any pattern for a hooded black cloak will suffice.
Suggestion
DIY Perks. Making your own robe lets you ensure it is just long enough for safe walking. The Nazgul lack physical bodies, so wrists or ankles would never be visible protruding from their robes, but your Nazgul costume need not achieve that level of realism.
If sewing a costume is not desired, buy a black hooded cloak from a retailer that sells Halloween costumes.
Attach additional layers
The Nazgul are ancient, and their robes reflect this. Sewing on extra pieces of black fabric imparts a tattered appearance to your robe, as if it has been worn for centuries. Adding these fabric pieces also helps the robe flutter and move in the wind.
Tear up old black clothing to make shredded fabric patches, or purchase remnants of gauzy black material from a fabric store. Using a needle and black thread, sew one edge of each fabric swatch to the robe.
There is no correct or incorrect method for this, so use your discretion and add as many or as few pieces as you like.
Give the robe a worn appearance
Introduce signs of wear and tear to make your robe look as realistic as possible. Use scissors to cut and fray the hem. Drag a wire brush across the robe to create snags and add texture to the fabric.
Optionally, rub dirt into the garment to further suggest that this robe has been worn for a long time.
Collect undergarments and a face covering
Wear a layer of all-black clothing beneath your robe. You do not want any skin to show through any rips or gaps in the fabric.
- Shoes. Choose black boots or any kind of casual all-black shoes.
- Gloves. Pull on a pair of thin black gloves to cover your skin or better yet, wear black armor gauntlets like the ones medieval knights would wear over their hands.
- Face. Because these creatures are faceless, a black face covering is generally part of a Nazgul cosplay outfit or Halloween costume. Don a black costume stocking mask, which is designed to let the wearer see through the fabric or make your own basic face covering by cutting one leg off a pair of opaque black stockings and pulling the fabric over your face.
Do a test run to make sure you can easily see and breathe through your face covering. If not, wear a black plastic face mask or foam helmet from a costume shop.
Finish the Nazgul costume DIY
Once you have your all-black underlayer and robe, the final piece of your costume is a weapon. Ringwraiths use a variety of weapons to menace and harm their enemies, but a simple Nazgul sword is generally the standard weapon people choose for Nazgul cosplay.
Carry a costume sword or cut your own long sword from cardboard and cover the blade with silver paint or foil.
